To Eat List

I’m not much of a gambler, but after trying the 9 dish roulette banquet @naturalnine_cbr I can safely say that this is one game of roulette that is win-win, and I’d bet you’ll love it👌🏼🍽🥢

Dishes can include edamame with lapsang souchong salt; chicken and prawn dumplings with black vinegar; vegetable springrolls with native currant dipping sauce, tempura king prawn and wasabi mayo steamed mantou; kungpau lamb ribs with pickled ginger – and that’s just getting started! 🍤🌶🥟

Also delicious was the katsu chicken noodle salad; flank steak with soy glaze, braised radicchio and Tasmanian wasabi; and five spice braised tofu with green beans – I loved every bite, and that was only some of it! 🍤🌶🥟

The cocktails are fabulous also – the sinful apple pie is a sin worth committing with @fireball_au whisky with apple, pineapple and lemon juice 🥃🍏🍍😍 the pomegranate sour with @tanqueraygin, pomegranate and lemon juice was also delicious #ginandjuice🍸🍋

If that’s not your poison, you’re bound to find another fave – the old fashion no.3 with bulliet rye, angostura bitters and an orange twist; and the chili passion with cachaça, passionfruit liqueur, cranberry juice and chilli syrup – equally delicious 🍸🍋🌶🍹🍊

And don’t forget dessert! 🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️ The brioche frenchtoast dessert with jasmine poached pear and vanilla bean icecream is to die for 😍 And with the ‘r n b’ cocktail it is as aptly smooth with rubis liquor, angostura bitters and buffalo trace bourbon, and if you’re an espresso martini fan you‘ll love the ‘carajillo diable’ which has tequila blanco, coffee liqueur, agave and fresh espresso 🍸🥃😍

And if you’re a fan of yum cha, then you won’t want to miss out on their Pop Yum Cha 🙋🏼‍♀️🥟🙋🏼‍♀️ I mean, what could possibly be better than an abundance of dumplings and other delicious bite-sized and saucy noms? That’s right – NOTHING!!! 🥟 🍽🥢 Dishes include the crazy chilli chicken steamed bun; garlic and chilli cucumber; vegetable and wood ear mushroom springroll with native currant dipping sauce; smoked duck sticky rice cigar; squid tentacles in ginger and spring onion – and that’s just getting started! 🍤🌶🥟

All up – a fab way to spend a night or a lunch – a game changer if you will 😉

A creative outlet, no materials to buy or prep to do, no clean-up, acquiring a one-of-a-kind piece of art, AND WINE??? 👩‍🎨🎨🖼🍷 Sign me UP!! 💁🏼‍♀️🙆🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️

I was lucky enough to be invited to create my own special work of art through @thesocialcreativecbr painting class ❤️

When I arrived I had no idea where to start, but Gen and Maria were so encouraging and helpful in breaking down the steps to painting the donkey, and giving the freedom to create whatever setting you fancied. So hopefully I didn’t make an ass out of myself 🙊

But most of all, it was SO MUCH FUN! The coursed are always at great venues – mine was at @honkytonks_cbr so there were drinks and food aplenty 🍷🍺🌮

Give it a try – you might surprise yourself! PS hot tip – the more wine you drink, the more creative you get 😉 Thank you so much #thesocialcreativecbr for such a fantastic experience ❤️

Humpdays call for cocktails and carbs! 💁🏼‍♀️🙆🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️

Earlier in the year I was lucky enough to be invited to the launch of Drink Pink Wednesdays @vapianoaustralia #drinkpinkwednesdays – and I can safely say, I was #tickledpink! 💕

Not only do Drink Pink Wednesdays offer totally yummy pink gin cocktails and Vapiano’s amaze range of pastas and pizzas – but you can indulge all the while feeling utterly benevolent! 👼🏼 Because Vapiano is proud to support the work of @SharetheDignity, with full proceeds from pink gin Wednesday cocktails donated directly to Share the Dignity, to assist them in helping women experience domestic violence, homelessness or poverty in Australia.

So – what are you waiting for?!?! I know what my plans are for next humpday already 😍🍹🍝🍸❤️

It’s perfectly fitting Momoda is Chinese slang for ‘kiss’, cuz I absolutely LOVE their menu @momodacbr ❤️ 💕 ❤️

Momoda combines traditional Chinese fusion street food with a modern twist 🥢💁🏼‍♀️ The food is phenomenal, as are the cocktails! 🍸🍹

The black pepper softshell crab with brown butter was the perfect combination of crispy and spicy 🦀 and it paired perfectly with the the stir fried Chinese greens in garlic, ginger and rice wine 🥦 The thousand layer Peking pig terrine with black prune vinegar and smashed chilli was as tasty as it was complex 🐷 and Grandma’s twice cooked sticky pork belly with caramel lemongrass chilli was so damn delicious, it‘s like a party in your mouth (that you don’t wanna invite anyone else to) 🌶

And then the cocktails! 😍 The Ixora has a mouth-watering whiskey, hibiscus syrup, lime and curry leaves 🥃 and the Pink Lady is a refreshing mix of Canberra caramel vodka, apple schnapps, cranberry, pomegranate and egg white that leaves you wanting more 🍹

And whether you’re on a date night or not, I think the #datenight cocktail is a must with pu-er tea, whiskey, rum and sparkling wine topped with a Chinese date ☕️🍷🍹

And if you’re game, you should definitely try the hidden cocktail which is so new and potent that it’s currently #offthemenu 🥃 🍸I got to try this fruity yet spicy beauty, which is perfectly balanced with a hint of cinnamon – for those that like a little kick 🌶💁🏼‍♀️💋

Dreaming about this meal and counting down to the next visit already 😍💕

What a delicious spread @wildduckkingston 🍽 🥟🐟🍷

I recently dined at Wild Duck and enjoyed the most delicious fine dining. Wild Duck features traditional Chinese food as well as other authentic offerings from across South East Asia, right here by the Kingston Foreshore 🍤🥢

We tried the entrees of salmon tataki (lemongrass cured salmon, ginger glaze, nashi pear, sesame seed); wagyu beef dumplings (house made and pan-fried); and Balmain Bug dumplings (steamed dumplings filled with a generous serve of Balmain Bugs meat, served with pickled ginger and rice vinegar) 🥟

The dumplings were delectable,generously sized and perfectly complimented by the dipping sauces, and the salmon was so light and fresh and it paired perfectly with the sweet nashi pear.

And last but not least, the traditional Peking Duck – roasted to crispy perfection with baton cucumber and spring onion served on crepe and hoisin sauce. Always a crowd pleaser and this was no exception!! One word: #amazing 🍽❤️👏

Absolutely loved the Canberra Wines Fireside Festival Cellar Door event 🍷

Loved learning all about the wineries attending from the Canberra Wine region, and the best part of course – tasting the wines!

Thank you @canberrawines for the invitation and for bringing so much of Canberra’s best wines together in the one place! 🍷 ❤️ 🍷

Well, it’s official. This is the one time you’ll hear me saying you should start thinking inside the box 📦 cuz Grease Monkey’s new Detroit-style pizza (DSP) is here and it. is. AMAZING @greasemonkeycanberra 🍕😍🍕

I was lucky enough to be invited to get a sneak peak before their official launch 👀 So what is DSP exactly? Let’s take this layer by layer 😆

You start off with Greasy’s tasty pizza sauces (think red sauce, vodka, romesco bbq etc), then you’ve got whatever toppings combo you’ve chosen (think pepperoni, jalapeño, chorizo, basil, etc), then a Detroit cheese blend, and the most light and fluffy dough base with a delicious caramelised crust – where the cheese goes all the way to the end! 🧀 🤤 🧀

And with a nod to Braddon’s greasy roots, it’s all baked in a rectangular auto parts tray!! 👩‍🔧

There are eight delicious pizzas in the range, and they are all far from your stock standard usual – all of them have that special Greasy’s touch. Located where Catch used to be, this is a hot spot you’ve gotta hit up soon! 👌🏼 I can’t wait to come back already 💁🏼‍♀️🙆🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️

I couldn’t wait to try Underground Spirits’ new and exclusive Lakeside Gin – produced just for Floriade 2019, World in Bloom! 💐

And what better opportunity to do so than on a gorgeous spring day with cocktails at the Ginternational Bar on the opening weekend at Floriade!

There was a range of special cocktails available on offer during Floriade at the Ginternational Bar. But you had to get in quick, as the Lakeside Gin was a limited edition made available only at Floriade, or until sold out.

Thanks @undergroundspirits for such a wonderful way to spend an afternoon! Even though I could only enjoy @floriade_australia for the next few more weeks, I continued to enjoy my #Undergroundspirits #Floriade edition for a while longer!

We had the best time at the @zaabstreetfood annual Beer Pong Championships! 🍺 🏓🍻

We eagerly awaited the scores after all the first rounds were complete to see if our ‘King Pong’ team was still in the running to win the trip to Thailand in 2019 🙏🏼

While we made the first rounds, we didn’t make it to the end. But we had so much fun playing pong and drinking @bentspokebeer beer that regardless of the outcome we knew we were still winners 🏆 #winning Thanks to Zaab for putting on such an amazing and fun event! 👏🏼

What a delicious lunch, and fabulous way to start the day! I loved having lunch at the new @archibaldsespresso at @westfieldbelconnen recently 🍴

We started our meal off with a @lonsdalestreetroasters almond milk cappuccino, which was perfect ☕️ and they also do a range of fresh juices, so we tried the Green Glory (apple, celery, cucumber and mint) which was super refreshing 🍏🥒

The menu has a massive range of lunch and all day breakfast options. We opted for the Rosti & Ocean Beet with beetroot cured smoke salmon, potato rosti, smashed avo, yogurt, dukka and poached egg 🍳🥑 and the Brekky Bruschetta, with shaved prosciutto, bocconcini, tomato and basil, poached eggs w olive oil and balsamic glaze 🥚🍅🌿

Both were so delicious and fresh! I wasn’t surprised when I found out that Archibald’s sources it’s ingredients daily from local producers at the @belconnenmkts 🌽🥔

And wait – don’t forget dessert!!! There is an amazing choice of fresh baked muffins, pastries, brownies, slices and more 😍 I couldn’t resist the salted caramel and pretzel cronut – delicious! 🥨 🍩 🥐 I cant wait to come back again!

Can you have Sweet Dreams while you’re wide awake? Cuz that’s what happened to me @sweet_dreams_festival – the first time this festival took place in Canberra!! 🙋🏼‍♀️💁🏼‍♀️🙆🏼‍♀️

LOVED getting my eat and drink on with some of the best artisanal food and drink offerings from local faves like @zaabstreetfood @momodacbr @bellerophoncoffee @loosegourmetchurros @sweettoothsociety @capitalbrewing @bare_bones_bbq @detonipatisserie @bobandpetesyum @sabi_beverages @thetrufflefarm and more!! 😍🥘🍸🍷

The soulful RNB & Hip Hop vibes were amazing, and getting our glow on in the nighttime with the impressive line up of international, national and local artists – Citizen Kay, Kirklandd, Myrne, Throttle, Luke Million and so many more 🎧 💃 And while it may have been a wet day, it certainly didn’t rain on anyone’s parade ☔️🙌🏻💁🏼‍♀️🍸🍽🎶

I love trying out new menus! 🙋🏼‍♀️🙆🏼‍♀️💁🏼‍♀️ And I was very excited to try the brand new menu recently at Chifley’s Bar and Grill, the fabulous steakhouse and bar located in the gorgeous Hotel Kurrajong 🍽

The new menu has been designed to bring the best of Australian cuisine with a refreshing twist for summer, as well as a focus on seasonal produce ☀️

But first… drinks! 🍸 The beverages menu is vast with several pages of each kind of spirit, wine, beer – basically everything you could ask for, including local producers.

We went with Underground Spirits shiraz and pepper-berry gin and The Canberra Distillery blood orange gin to start. They went down very nicely with our starter of fried loligo squid, which was just the right amount of crispy in a lovely light batter with fresh chilli and aioli 🌶 🦑

Then for mains we had the perfectly cooked 300gm Riverina Sirloin (angus, MSA 3, grain fed) with delicious big fresh grilled king prawns in garlic cream sauce, chef’s special truffle scented cannelloni bean purée, seasonal vegetables and our choice of sauce (béarnaise) 🥩 🥕🍤 and the amazing twice cooked pork belly with rhubarb and pear compote and port wine glaze 🍐😍

The dishes were complimented beautifully by the Philip Shaw Wines merlot and Long Rail Gully riesling 🍷 and we couldn’t go past a side a beer battered onion rings 😍 It was also super special to meet the amazing chef behind the menu @saju_rajappan and learn all about his favourite dishes 👨‍🍳

And despite having very full and satisfied tummies, we just couldn’t resist dessert #obvi 🤷‍♀️ We went with the Belgian chocolate mousse with fresh raspberries and the lemon-lime cheesecake with berry compote 🍫🍋 🍰 🍓

Everything we ate was SO delicious, with all the meals so perfectly balanced with their accompaniments. Thank you so much for having me – we can’t wait to come back again! ❤️

Pets & Pimms – what a purrr-fect pair! 🐱 Cuz really, what more could you want on a Saturday than petting a posh pooch? 🤷🏼‍♀️ I think you’d be dog-gone mad not to enjoy this 🐶

Recently I was lucky enough to be invited to the sold-out Pets & Pimms event in Hotel Kurrajong’s gorgeous courtyard outside Chifley’s Bar & Grill 🐈🐕
The event had @HotelKurrajong and @chifleysbarandgrill partnering with the RSPCA in ACT to throw a fabulous garden party with some adorable four-legged companions from the local pet shelter.
Every ticket included a refreshing @PimmsAustralia cocktail (with non-alcoholic options also available) and importantly a donation going straight to the RSPCA @RSPCAAustralia @RSPCA_Act 💵 Now that’s what I call pours/paws with a cause! 🐾🐕🍹🐈

I had an absolute blast at the much-anticipated launch of Atomic Canberra @atomic.canberra 💁🏼‍♀️🙆🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️ you see, it’s all positives and I’ve had my ion it for a while #seewhatididthere 😜😉

I was recently lucky enough to be invited to the official launch event 🎈and there’s no doubt in my mind that this place will take off 🚀 And with @experience.eats partnering with Questacon, it’s also no surprise the food and drink offerings are out of this world 😋

Think ‘sci-tea’ with moon rocks, zen stones and galaxy macarons in an igloo under a stunning colossal glowing moon 🌓 mini mushroom and beef pies and green-bun fried chicken sliders 🍔 🥧 💚 the most mind-blowing grazing tables 🍇🍣🧀

And don’t forget the drinks! Champs 🥂 beer 🍻 salted caramel vodka cocktails and Cosmorex Coffee espresso martinis 🍸 light bulb fruity vodka cocktails💡mango fruit punch with Proud & Punch popsicles 🍷🍊 and the list goes on!!! 😍😍😍

After hearing about what’s in the pipeline, I can’t wait to come back again! Do yourself a favour and come check it out 💕

So idk about you, but I am passionate about fruity sorbets, and am going coconuts for tart and delicious froyo this time of year 🥥 😜🍦 AND I am super keen when it’s dairy-free (cuz my tummy is far less likely to complain and hellooooo #summerbod 👙)

Recently I got to try out the brand new summer flavours at Yogurtland and they.are.all.AMAZE! ❤🍦❤

First up, there is the passionfruit sorbet, which is super fruity, light and refreshing – just perfect for this time of year ☀️

Next up is the Madagascar vanilla bean, which is deliciously creamy with the perfect flavour hit of vanilla 🍦

And last but not least, there is the dairy-free key lime pie, made from coconut milk 🥥 While it’s a tough choice, this would have to be my fave of the new flavours as I love tart flavours and this has the perfect balance of tart vs fruity! 😍😍😍

We tried out a few combos for your viewing pleasure – in case you’re wondering, cheesecake and Nutella goes very well with the Madagascar vanilla bean #yourewelcome 🤤🍰🤤

If you haven’t been for froyo recently, make sure you drop by @yogurtlandau soon! Maybe this summer when Canberra is circa 40 degrees?! ❤️🍦❤️

A beautiful box almost too pretty to eat filled with luscious goodies – and delivered to your door? It really doesn’t get any better than this 😍

I was recently lucky enough to receive a delivery of one of La Luna Graze’s snack boxes and it was fabulous La Luna Graze 🧀🍇🥜🥒🍓🥝🌸💕

Filled to the absolute BRIM with a selection of cured and shaved meats, house made dips, nuts, crackers, dipping vegetables, not to mention multiple wedges of cheese I kept discovering under fresh fruits 🧀♥️🍉 And all adorned with gorgeous fresh flowers 💐

There’s no better way to enjoy some portable decadence, especially during the festive season 🍾 so make sure you check them out @lalunagraze 👌🏼 PS I can vouch it goes perfectly with champs 🥂

I’m not drooling you’re drooling 🤤🤤🤤

If you’re coming with me to Phat Panda Urban Asian Street Food you better keep your paws off my ‘naughty paws’ cuz I defs want that ALL to myself 😍😍😍

You can choose between a range of delicious proteins – my faves are the fried chicken and bbq pork 🍗🐷 Topped with delicious sauces and all on top of fries or deep fried wontons ❤️ So delicious!!!

And then don’t forget to leave room for dessert!!!! We were lucky enough to try a couple scoops of premium flavors of ice cream (think bubblegum, taro and so many more) 🍦🍫🍬🍨 on top of the deep fried wontons again – but this time sweet ones! #Shook This dessert is so epic it’s rightly so called the Won-Tonne Panda 🤤🤤🤤

Can’t wait to come back again already @phatpandaurbanasian 😋